Three large figures rolled in the water, moving with powerful and sharp swipes through the tank. Their large, upper torsos rippled with the movement, covered in thick muscle and smooth, gray skin. The fiends' lower halves tapered off into long, flexible fins with hand-like claws at the end. Their heads consisted of a snout full of teeth and small but sharp and aggressive eyes.

As they moved, their actions seemed to flow together, as if synchronized or practiced. They swept their gaze over the stadium and fleeing players, turning their eyes back and forth as if searching the pool. It wasn't long before their gaze seemed to snap away from the moving pray and onto Tidus, almost as if they sensed his presence. Once locked on target, they shot forward in the water toward the boys.

Players scrambled to get out of the way as the creatures shot forward. Gillian looked frantically back and forth from Tidus to the monsters. The other player seemed to still be in some sort of daze and hadn't noticed the fiends. All of Gil's instincts told him to move, but the thought of leaving Tidus alone in that state ate at his conscience. He couldn't do it. At the last minute, the blitzer grabbed onto Tidus firmly and propelled them out of the creatures' paths. Claws swished by, just inches from skewering them as Gillian's whirlwind kick moved them beyond reach.

The boys turned to see the creatures fall out of the water below them, crashing onto the bleachers. Luckily, people had already started to evacuate and most were running away screaming. Good. It would keep them alive. The monsters shook off their daze and turned back to face Gil and Tidus, ignoring the other prey around them. Gil found himself amazed despite himself at how they seemed to turn and hunt instinctively with each other. If only their team could move like that, no one else would stand a chance against them!

He shook the thought from his head. Live now, Blitzball later.

Gil's tugging must have finally jolted Tidus back into reality and his reflexes kicked in. As Gil watched, the older boy looked the monsters over with an experienced eye. That startled him. Since when did any star blitzer become well versed in fiends? He glanced back down at the three creatures. They seemed to be reorienting themselves and their gaze remained focused on him and Tidus.

Not that he was complaining, but why weren't they going after the crowds? Then, movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention back to Tidus. His hand closed around water, as if it wanted to hold something, and then the most incredible thing happened. A sword appeared. It looked like bubbling water made whole, with a firm grip that could have been made from metal. And it had just appeared.

Gil stopped swimming, staring in surprise and shock. Tidus looked at the sword as if surprised it was there himself. Then he shook his head, eyes focusing back on the monsters that had leapt up and into the sphere again.

Tidus motioned for Gil to leave. He had to admit, he was running out of air, and it was getting more and more difficult to focus, but the motion was unmistakable. Scowling, he shook his head and took a firm grasp on the blitzball that he still had clutched under his arm. Tidus had been his model, and Gil wasn't about to leave him to take on three large fiends alone.

A little surprise formed on the blond's face before an almost feral smile broke across it. Let's get 'em. Gil could have sworn he heard the other's voice in his head, but after a moment, he shook the thought from it. Had to be his imagination. Right?

He didn't have any more time to think on it as the fiends finally reached them. Tidus didn't back down, paddling forward to meet the first creature a moment before the fiend had expected to reach him. Claws didn't extend out quite in time before Tidus had slashed the middle creature's side. The monster hissed, whipping his tail in an effort to reach the passing boy. It hit Tidus, but he managed to use its tail as a springboard to help him get further behind it.

Encouraged by Tidus's attack, Gillian started rotating and picking up speed, using his wind magic to help. At the apex of his turn, he shot the ball in a fast whirl toward the damaged creature's head. Still distracted by Tidus's counter, it didn't' see the knobby ball zooming through the water. Upon impact the creature shuddered, than began to float upwards. Moments later, it dissolved into pyreflies.

As if sensing their companion's death, the other two divided, swimming in opposite directions. One had gone around to face Tidus at an angle that Gil couldn't reach without going through the blond while the other put on a burst of speed to tackle the smaller target. Panicked, Gillian kicked frantically toward the other side to the pool. As he started swimming later than his foe, the creature got to him, just as he began to pick up speed. It opened it's mouth to bite, only to get a mouthful of a sturdy boot. In Gillian's attempt to get away he had kicked the upper jaw of the fiend. The creature floated back stunned by the knock to it's head. While the creature's attention was off of him for a moment, he took a quick glance to check on Tidus.

He saw him locked in a stalemate of teeth and sword, one scraping dangerously against the other. Tidus pushed hard, kicking in the water with a strength Gil had never seen before as the monster tried to get around the thing in its mouth. Abruptly the blade gave way, turning back into water. With the unexpected force gone, the creature shot forward. Expecting this, Tidus quite literally twirled out of the way. Gil's mouth dropped open in surprise again. He'd never seen anyone move like that in the water before!

Tidus looked back to his hand and the sword reformed just as quickly as it had vanished. He swung it, back-handing the creature in a large arc. Finished, it burst into pyreflies and bubbles that ascended through the sphere and into the sky.

That was SO cool! Gillian thought. How did he do that? It took him a moment to realize that he'd been focusing on Tidus, and not his own fight. The fiend had shaken off the blow he'd given it before and was swishing forward for another try. Gil looked frantically around for something he could fight with. He saw the ball a distance off, but it was too far to do him any good. Then his vision was obscured by a mouthful of teeth. As Gillian cringed and raised his arms, there was a whoosh, and a wave of water suddenly whirled around him. He opened his eyes to a cloud of lights swirling up. The fiend had vanished.

What just happened? They're all gone? He looked around, seeing no creature in sight. Tidus was off to one side of the pool, a puzzled look on his face as he stared down at his right hand. The sword was no longer in sight, but that didn't bother Gil. For now it seemed the danger had passed. Ignoring the burning of his lungs, Gillian swam over to Tidus, a huge grin plastered on his face. He gave the other boy two thumbs up in his excitement. The adrenaline of the fight hadn't worn off yet, blending with the excitement of victory.

That's when everything started to go black.

xXx

The kid that hadn't run with the rest of the blitzers came swimming rather sluggishly up to Tidus and flashed an excited smile. Tidus knew those symptoms. The kid had stayed under water too long. Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed the kid, shooting off towards the benches lining the sphere of water.

They burst through the energy membrane that held the liquid in the traditional spherical shape, Tidus merely stepping off while the other kid fell down, coughing and gasping for breath. Tidus knelt down beside him, hand on the kid's back.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

In answer, the kid turned and looked back up at Tidus, flashing a grin. "I must..." he breathed, "have broken...my record. Had...to be...at least four...minutes." The blond couldn't help but be impressed. At his best, he'd only been able to really hold his breath two minutes and 47 seconds before he had to turn and head towards the air tubes at the four "corners" of the stadium. He'd suspected that while in Spira that time limit had gone up out of sheer necessity, but could never time it to prove it.

Relieved at the other's recovery, Tidus returned the smile, although it felt a little forced. He couldn't help but feel confused. How had he suddenly gotten into a blitzball tank? And why did the fiends follow him? For the first time, he was able to look around and really take in his surroundings. He knew this place; the stadium, the water field, the benches...he'd practically grown up here. This was Zanarkand. His Zanarkand, not some ancient, ruined city falling apart at the edge of civilization.

Unwittingly, he felt his mouth drop open as he took in the sights. For so long he had yearned to come back to this place—to the life he'd lived here. He wanted to be away from Sin and fiends and summonings and corrupt, dead priests. He'd wanted to come home.

His mind practically shut down at that point. He'd never thought he'd be able to get back, and yet here he was. A hand on his arm drew his attention back to the boy, still gasping for breath. Vaguely, Tidus wondered why he didn't feel any sensations that hinted at the lack of oxygen. Actually, now that he thought about it, when he'd been in the water, he hadn't really felt like he'd been holding his breath at all...

As if sensing his thoughts, the kid spoke up, grin never fading. "You're not...even breathing hard. Should of expect that from the Legendary Son of Jecht!"

Tidus couldn't help but wince at that. "Uh, right," he muttered.

"Tidus! It's Tidus!" someone shouted from the stands. Apparently not everyone had evacuated by the time they'd defeated the fiends. He heard several other shouts from around the stadium and turned to look at the kid again.

"I think it's time to hit the lockers," he said with a smile, hoping it didn't look too sheepish or desperate.

"Oh," the kid nodded, then reached out and grabbed his arm. "Right! Follow me!"

"I know the way myself," Tidus muttered, but the kid didn't seem to hear him.

He never even thought to notice how he didn't begin to dry off.

Nostalgia washed over him as soon as they stepped into the large, warmly painted locker room. How many strategy meetings had he participated in here? How many times had he nursed a wound? Showered? Dried off? Heck, he could still see his locker, looking a tad more beat up than it had been before...as a matter of fact, everything did.

"I can't believe you're really here! I—I..." he turned to see the kid had started to talk to him again. Tidus could almost see the gigantic stars shining in his green eyes.

"Oh, right," the blond turned and held his hand out. "I'm Tidus, but I guess you already know that. What's your-?"

The kid cut Tidus off, grabbing his hand and shaking it enthusiastically. His wet, aubern hair bouned and slapped against itself with the movement. "Gillian Bokkura, but everyone calls me 'Gil' or 'Wind'. Oh my...I really can't believe it's you! Everyone thought you disappeared just like your dad. Some people thought you died in that major attack from the gigantic fiend that nearly destroyed all of Zanarkand but I never believed them once! I mean," he darted around Tidus, looking him up and down as if memorizing every detail, "it's like a dream come true having you back! Where did you go? Why did you stay there? I mean, did you head off to some tropical island while everyone else tried to rebuild the city? I wouldn't blame you if you did. I wanted to and-"

"Whoa, whoa," Tidus held up his hand. "Slow down a second there. Attack on Zanarkand?"

Gil blinked and cocked his head in confusion. "Yeah, the giant fiend that came and practically destroyed the city before it left. Right in the middle of the play offs too. It looked kind of like a giant flying fish with these huge stumps for arms that came out of the side of it, each probably the size of a small building themselves and-"

"Sin," Tidus muttered, tuning out the boy's prattle. So Sin really had attacked here just like the last time he remembered? Did that mean he really was home? If that was the truth, then how did it happen? It wasn't like he could travel back and forth like Sin could, unless...

A dark, cold block of ice began to form in the pit of his stomach. It took Aeons about ten years to become Sin...to get to a point where they couldn't hear the hymn anymore. So did that mean that he had become that monster? Was that why he could travel here, because he'dalready become Sin?

The cold pit began to send waves of fear through his body. The gigantic, professional locker room suddenly felt tiny and cave-like. He could almost see the walls closing in, cutting off his air. He didn't want to hurt anyone! He didn't want to be Sin! Of course, Jecht hadn't either, but that hadn't stopped him.

"Hey?" His head snapped up, locking eyes with the other kid. Gil couldn't be more than a year or two younger than him, but he looked like an infant with the expression of concern he wore on his face. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Tidus responded, trying to force a grin on his face. What was he supposed to say? No I'm not. I've been wandering around in the real world for who knows how many months, and I found out that my old man is the giant monster bent on destroying everything and now I think I've become that monster and will probably kill you and everyone else around here before too long...

For some reason he didn't think that would go over well.

"I'm just a little tired."

"After that entrance and your wicked awesome fight? No duh! C'mon," he reached down and grabbed Tidus' arm again. "Your boat survived the attack, and no one's done anything with it yet. It's still parked out front." He suddenly dropped the arm again and raced over to his own locker (one that had been empty when Tidus had been here, must be a new recruit) and pulled out a windbreaker with a hood. "Here," he threw it at Tidus, who caught it deftly. "Put this on. I'll get you there." With that, he picked Tidus' arm back up again and began dragging him out as the former blitzer struggled into the jacket.

This kid really doesn't have a concept of personal space, does he?

xXx

How do you feel? Instinctively Jecht knew who asked him that question, although he didn't as of yet know a name to go along with that...er, distinct feeling. How else was he supposed to describe it? He couldn't really see anything, but that was more because he didn't really have to than anything else.

Like I was bowled over by a flattening bot, he "muttered" back. Still not at a hundred percent.

That's not surprising, the voice mused. You probably won't be for several months, if not longer.

Great, he responded dryly, feeling an annoyed grumble bounce around inside of him without really being there. Been a while since I been like this, he commented. Forgot how weird it feels.

He felt the equivalent of a chuckle from the other. It is something you grow used to.

What's your name? he asked, turning his attention to the actual identity of the voice. It sounded so familiar...

My real name is something you will have to earn later, but you know me as Bahamut.

If Jecht would have had eyes, they would have shot open wide. But...you're just a kid! I don't know how I can tell that, but I can! You're not a giant dragon bird thingy...

Again the voice chuckled. You would be surprised at some of the aeonic forms I've seen spirits take. Mine is not the strangest. Jecht mused on that for a moment before the presence turned serious. Jecht, we have a problem.

How is it you can call me by my real name, but I can't use yours?

Bahamut ignored his sardonic question. Tidus has gone home.

Jecht blinked and tried to wrap his mind around that. Wait...he what? As in home home? How the-

We do not know, exactly.

The older man sighed inwardly. It's because he's Sin now, isn't it. A new feeling, one of wariness and concern floated to him across whatever connection they shared. You don't know? The blitzer couldn't help but feel worried for that little crybaby.

I don't think he is.

That one outright shocked him. But... the gruff man faded off as confusion took over his (rather expansive) senses.

We don't really know either. It has never happened before, another, distinctly female 'voice' joined in the conversation. Somehow, Jecht knew she and several others had been listening in all the while.

That's the biggest problem, though, Bahamut continued. If he isn't Sin and he's gone back into the Dream Zanarkand-

He's a prime target for Yu Yevvon, Jecht finished the thought. We gotta get him out of there!

The female voice giggled. You know, Bahamut said the same thing.

xXx

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

"Whoa!" Tidus jumped what felt like a mile, consequently falling off of his bed in the process thanks to his legs being half tangled in the wet sheets. Apparently he hadn't completely dried off from the previous night's swim. The thumping continued from the door near the front of the adjacent room. Door...right, Tidus thought to himself. This was his room, not some random wayside hotel they'd crammed into for the night.

It felt weird to think that.

He stretched away what should have been sore muscles, but after a few moments, he realized no such pains existed. Maybe it was because he hadn't pushed himself in a while? Professional athletes tended to get used to those kinds of aches and pains, not to mention professional body guards. How long had it been since he'd really used his body? Lost in that place with the other aeons as he'd been, it could have been moments or years.

Something shifted in the other room and began to pad across the floor towards the door. "'M commin', 'm commin'," the tired, high-pitched and familiar voice croaked. Right, the kid had crashed on his couch after going on and on about, well basically everything that had happened in Zanarkand since he left.

For a moment, his whole situation struck him as surreal. What part was the dream then? Spira or Zanarkand? His surroundings sure felt real, but then so had everything in Spira. Had all his adventures there been some sort of fantastic dream? Maybe he'd just been out here for a few months, in some hospital somewhere recuperating and just didn't remember it...

He shook his head. Too many holes either way. He'd piece it together later. For now, he stepped out of his room.

"Hey," he muttered, suppressing a chuckle at the kid's unkempt appearance. Gil paused turning to face him with a half-lidded expression. Low blood pressure. Go figure. He was exactly the same as Tidus...well, like he used to be. Seriously, he felt fine right now, like he'd been awake for hours. Weird. "My house-boat, I'll get it. You grab something to eat."

The kid nodded and grunted in ascent as he turned to shuffle towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Tidus grinned and shook his head, then turned to the door. Through the peephole he could see several people outside and sighed. This had been one part of stardom he hadn't missed.

A wave of sound hit him as he opened the door.

"It is!"

"He's back!"

"Where have you been?"

"Why did you vanish?"

"Did you have a nervous breakdown?"

"Why did you fall from the sky?"

Yup, reporters galore. He should have figured they would have gotten wind of him.

"Is it true you were scouted for another team?"

"Will you be returning to play for the Zanarkand Abes?"

"Will you be taking your place as lead forward again?"

"Will you take Gil 'The Wind's' place back from him?"

Heh, so the kid had been the one to take his place when they couldn't find him. Maybe that spot on the team was cursed or something.

More than used to dealing with this, if a little rusty, he held up his hand and waited for silence. It took several seconds, but eventually they all quieted down for the most part.

"Yeah, I'm Tidus. Back from the dead," he paused, tempted to add a "ya" onto the end of that. For some reason, that phrase just struck him as something Wakka would say. "As for where I went, I don't really remember."

Several more questions burst out at that, just as he thought it would, so he held up his hands again. "I have no more comments until after the press conference." Not that he'd scheduled a press conference, but that would keep them busy and anticipating until then. With that he grinned and waved as he shut the door, letting out a breath of relief. That had actually gone rather smoothly.

"You're not like you used to be," Gil's half-mumbled voice stuttered around some canned food he'd opened up.

Tidus paused and thought back. Yeah, he used to eat that kind of thing up. Not necessarily people bothering him all the time, but the general attention.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Guess not. Couldn't do anything without my manager here, though."

"What changed?"

Tidus shrugged. "He's not here so I figured I should act like he'd want me to...?" Even to him it sounded weak. Then an odd thought struck him. He'd expected his old manager to be banging down the walls. His mother had set him up with the same manager as his father (much to his chagrin), although even Tidus had to admit, he'd been good at what he did.

"I wonder where he is," he pondered aloud.

"Probably...er...dead," Gil said quietly.

Tidus eyes snapped to the other boy. "Huh?"

Gil sighed with an uncomfortable shrug. "A lot of people died that day. The missing people still number in the thousands and the machina are taking so long to clean up all the mess that even people have formed groups and started to clear away rubble."

Tidus felt his eyebrow raise a little at that. "You serious?" It was hard for him to picture anyone from Zanarkand grouping together to do manual labor.

Gil shrugged. "Yeah. It's weird to see people working like that next to the robots."

The blond snickered. It would be interesting to see how Gil took to Spira. Tidus had never really realized how much he relied on robots and other conveniences until he hadn't been able to anymore.

"It's a good workout. You should try it sometime," he said casually.

"Really?" the kid looked skeptically at his senpai.

"Yeah. And it feels good to really help people out too," he said with a grin. "So, where did you get that can of food?" Gil grinned and tossed Tidus an easy-to-open and blessedly warm can of soup.

"Thought you might like some too."

Tidus grinned. "Thanks." With a snap, the lid came off and he downed half of the can in only a few gulps. As he brought the metal away from his lips, a strange sensation washed over him. He felt kind of dizzy and disconnected all of a sudden. He put a hand to his forehead, concentrating on shaking the feeling off.

"You okay?" Gil asked, noticing Tidus's discomfort.

"Yeah," the blond shrugged. "I'm fine."

"You really think so, brat?" Both boys jumped at the new voice and whipped around. Had one of the reporters been able to slip in past him? That was the only thing he could think of...

Two more people stood in the room now. The shorter one wore a hooded tunic decorated in various colors, and his face couldn't be seen well through the deep shadows cast by said hood. The second man was the one that both the boys focused on almost instantly. Tanned skin, dark hair and a tattoo on his open chest, he looked all to familiar to both of them.

Before Gil could say anything, Tidus settled a glare on him.

"Hello, Dad."